Comedian, Writer, Not So Bitter Divorcee

Menu

Dating After Divorce – The Shiny Penny Syndrome

Date: April 12, 2011

Author: julietjeske

English: Large amount of pennies (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A friend of mine and long-term resident of New York complained to me a few years ago about a dating problem she called “The Shiny Penny Syndrome”. A shiny penny is any of the brilliant, talented, gorgeous and single dwellers of Gotham. The problem arises when someone trying to date one person but can’t help but be distracted by all of the other “shiny pennies” that seem within reach. In a city full of humanity, there are always new humans to try out. At the time my friend was sharing her struggles trying to date I thought to myself.

“I am so glad that I’m married”

About a year later I was divorced, and instead of a bright shiny new copper penny, I felt like a beat-up, scuffed up and used up 1 cent coin. I was damaged goods entering a field of less flawed, complicated and younger currency.

The current dating culture, both online and around town feeds into this the shiny penny phenomena. People meet in bars and go home with virtual strangers, only to meet up again, or disappear forever, whatever they please. Some men and women do this for years before they finally decide to settle down. And then what? If they have been super ultra casual with partners for years, it is going to be a real challenge to suddenly become super ultra committed. A relationship, takes work, time, energy and focus. But many with demanding jobs or lifestyles don’t want to waste the time nurturing and tending to a new partner’s needs. So they constantly start from scratch with hybrids of pseudo-dating, friends with benefits or trying to date but rarely actually seeing their partner. They don’t see themselves as the problem but rather that their partner is simply not the best they could get.

Because of the nature of becoming completely anonymous and so effortlessly getting lost in the sea of humanity, people have a tendency to behave badly and get away with it. It is true of both genders and all sexual orientations. Meet someone outside your work and social group, and the minute you stop dating them, they can so easily vanish never to be heard from again. Which in some aspects is good, but in others it just encourages the cruelest and nastiest of behavior. And when everyone is their own island, it is difficult to find out a person’s reputation before getting involved with them. So those with the most deceptive or shallow dating habits can go through lovers with little consequence. And from what I have heard from people all over the world, the Shiny Penny Syndrome is not just relegated to big cities like New York but has become a universal problem.

For people newly divorced the sea of shiny pennies is especially difficult to navigate. Divorce can be entirely devastating to one or both spouses. Going from a long-term relationship with the same partner and then feeling like you have to compete in a shallow and disposable dating environment is a rude wake-up call. So what is to be done about this?

I have found that fellow divorced people tend to make the best fit for myself and my other friends who have been divorced. Another person who has gone through a divorce is usually much less judgmental of the scars, dents and damage that my not-so-shiny penny has been through. And a divorced person has at least tried to have a committed long-term relationship. Marriages end for all sorts of reasons, and in many cases there is little one partner can do to keep it together. I don’t exclusively seek out divorced men, but I do know that generally speaking they are likely to be more empathetic to my situation.

I am not searching for the brightest shiniest penny on the planet, I just want the penny that fits well with my own. And I know there is no such thing as a perfect match or partner. I will just continue to look beyond the perfection seekers and find a fellow copper coin that has been through that has had a little wear and tear like myself.

Morals and religion don’t go hand in hand. I consider myself agnostic. I am 38 years old, I have met a lot of people in my life and I haven’t seen any real correlation between morals and religious devotion. Or should I just list the countless preachers, priests, and other religious leaders caught in sex and ethical scandals. Don’t get me started on priests, I was raised in a strict Catholic household. My parish and the neighboring parish were both plagued with child molesters at our altars. And I have met plenty of agnostic and atheist people who are extremely moral and ethical, its a mixed bag really. I don’t judge a person based on which book they adhere too, or which God they believe in, instead I take them on a case by case basis. So in my mind it is hardly contradictory. I think is a complete fallacy to think that religious people are somehow morally superior, I haven’t seen that at all in my lifetime and I grew up in the very religious Midwest. Plus I just don’t buy into organized religion of any faith, so dating a religious person would be a nightmare for me, as it probably would be for them. If anything one thing I have found is that people who are devoutly religious tend to be the most judgmental.